The Biden administration has reached a legal agreement to conduct a new analysis of how fossil fuel development in the Gulf of Mexico is affecting sea turtles, manatees and other marine life.
The stipulation filed last week by the Fish and Wildlife Service seeks to resolve a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and Duke University scientist Stuart Pimm challenging the agency’s biological opinion.
“Every new offshore well is another toxic threat to marine wildlife, so I’m glad federal officials will consider looking at these harms before greenlighting more Gulf oil drilling,” said David Derrick, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement.
“I’m relieved that they may finally consider the absolute havoc that a huge spill like Deepwater Horizon would wreak on endangered animals living in and around the Gulf, which is a scenario they’ve overlooked so far,” he added.
